This invention relates a method and system for displaying and providing access to data on a monitor.
Typically, a processing system comprises either a single work station with a processor, memory, monitor, and keyboard and/or computer mouse coupled together or a plurality of these types of work stations coupled by a network to one or more servers. In either case, when an operator wants to begin to process data, an application is executed in the processing system. The executed application will usually require a variety of different sets or groups of data elements to be retrieved and displayed on the monitor at the work station. Unfortunately, in these prior processing systems the retrieval, display, and access of these sets of data elements from a memory onto a monitor at the work station has been a difficult, time consuming, and inefficient.
By way of example, a lender may execute an application in a processing system to process a consumer loan for an automobile or a mortgage. To process the consumer loan, the lender needs access to a variety of different sets of data, such as the applicant""s address, sources of income, outstanding loans, credit report, the collateral for the loan, etc. With prior systems, the lender would need to input a separate request into the processing system to retrieve each of these necessary sets of data elements, e.g. one request for the applicant""s address, another request for the applicant""s sources of income, etc. As a result, this process of retrieving the data is very tedious, time consuming, and inefficient.
Additionally, to process the loan the lender typically needs to view differing amounts of the data in each of the data sets. For example, the lender may only need to see some of the applicant""s personal data in the set of data with the applicant""s address, but may need to see all of the data in applicant""s credit report. With prior systems, the lender can either see all of the data in a data set or none of it. As a result, to review any data the lender must pull up all of the data in a set and review or scroll through a substantial amount of unnecessary data to view the necessary data to process the loan. This makes the process of viewing the data in the sets of data on the monitor tedious, time consuming, and inefficient. It also makes it difficult to move between different sets of data rapidly.
A method for displaying and providing access to data on a monitor in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention includes a few steps. First. at least two vistas are retrieved from a memory. Each of the vistas comprises at least one panel of data for display. Next, the vistas are prepared for display and then the retrieved and prepared vistas are displayed in one of at least three different formats on the monitor. The three formats comprise a collapsed state wherein one of the panels of data for the vista is displayed, an open state wherein more than one, but less than all of the panels of data are displayed for the vista, and an exploded state wherein all of the panels of data are displayed for the vista.
A computer readable medium in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention includes has stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to retrieve at least two vistas from a memory, prepare the vistas for display, and then cause the retrieved and prepared vistas to be displayed on a monitor in one of at least three different formats. Each of the vistas comprises at least one panel of data for display. The three formats comprise a collapsed state wherein one of the panels of data for the vista is displayed, an open state wherein more than one, but less than all of the panels of data are displayed for the vista, and an exploded state wherein all of the panels of data are displayed for the vista.
A system for displaying and providing access to data in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention includes a memory, a processor and a monitor. The memory is configured to store at least two vistas, each of the vistas comprising at least one panel of the data for display. The processor is configured to retrieve at least two vistas from the memory in response to a request and to prepare the vistas for display. The monitor is configured to display the retrieved and prepared vistas from the processor, each of the vistas displayed in one of at least three different formats on the monitor. The three formats comprise a collapsed state wherein one of the panels of data for the vista is displayed, an open state wherein more than one, but less than all of the panels of data are displayed for the vista, and an exploded state wherein all of the panels of data are displayed for the vista.
A processing system for displaying and providing access to data in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention includes a first system coupled to a second system. The first system has a first processor coupled to a first memory. The first memory stores at least two vistas, each of the vistas comprising at least one panel of the data for display. The second system has a second processor coupled to a second memory and a monitor. The second processor is configured to retrieve at least two of the vistas from the first memory in a single transaction and to prepare the vistas for display. The monitor is configured to display the retrieved and prepared vistas, each of the vistas displayed in one of at least three different formats on the monitor. The three formats comprise a collapsed state wherein one of the panels of data for the vista is displayed, an open state wherein more than one, but less than all of the panels of data are displayed for the vista, and an exploded state wherein all of the panels of data are displayed for the vista.
With the present invention, sets of data needed during the execution of an application in a processing system can be quickly and easily retrieved. Typically, all of the sets of data can be retrieved in a single transaction. Based upon the request, the system tries to determine all of the vistas that are or may be needed and then retrieves all of these vistas. As a result, the operator of the processing system can more quickly receive and process the necessary data.
Additionally, with the present invention once the sets of data are retrieved, then the operator can easily transfer between the differing sets of data which are displayed on the monitor in one of three different formats. With the collapsed format, the operator is able to view a single panel of data which identifies or provides a title or abstract for the data contained in the set of data or vista. With the open format, the operator can view two or more pre-selected panels of data for the vista. Typically, these panels of data will contain the most important data panels needed for processing so that the operator does not have to review all of the data panels in the vista. With the exploded state, the operator can review all of the panels of data in a vista when necessary. Once an operator is finished with a vista, the operator can simply signal the processing system via an input device to switch the format for a vista to a collapsed state and then can signal the processing system to switch the format of another vista to either an open format or an exploded format as necessary. As a result, an operator of the processing can quickly, easily, and efficiently move between and display data in vistas in different formats.